China Soil Remediation Valued at 40 Bln Yuan

The question “How big is the market value of contaminated soil remediation in China for next five years?” was the hottest topic among investors and researchers during an environmental industry forum held on March 20-21 in Beijing.

Gao Shengda, editor-in-chief of China Environmental Remediation website, predicted that the market value of soil remediation in China would be as high as 40 billion yuan (US$6.36 billion) by 2015, reported the China Securities Journal.

"Since urbanization in the US has finished, lands which need to be purified gradually have become fewer. However, it's a different story in China," Gao said. "The urbanization rate in China is only about 50 percent; therefore, that 40 billion yuan is just a rough estimate."

No matter what the exact number is, one thing is true that the industry for soil remediation has emerged and is likely to take on a leading role in the environmental protection industry.

Director of Department of Total Pollutants Control in the Ministry of Environmental Protection Zhao Hualin, believed environmental remediation industries such as soil and underground water remediation would become a new point of growth over the "13th Five-year Plan" period (2016-2020).

Soil remediation is the collective term for various strategies that are used to purify and revitalize soil. This process of soil cleanup is part of a broader effort known as environmental remediation, which can also include efforts to purify the air and otherwise repair damage done to the ecological balance of the planet, according to Wisegeek.com.